The US expressed its "disappointment" regarding the "White Paper" issued by China on Sunday, noting that the latter and other public statements made by China — are a choice "to pursue a blame game misrepresenting the nature and history of trade negotiations between the two countries".
According to the statement issued by the Office of the US Trade Representative, "President Trump is committed to taking action to address the unfair trade practices that China has engaged in for decades, which have contributed to persistent and unsustainable trade deficits, almost $420 billion last year, and have caused severe harm to American workers, farmers, ranchers, and businesses".
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The Office of the US Trade Representative also accused China of a long record of "unfair trade practices", in a statement, adding that "China back-pedaled on important elements of what the parties had agreed to".
The United States and China have been trying to overcome disagreements that emerged when US President Donald Trump decided to impose 25 per cent tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods last June, in a bid to fix the trade deficit. Since then, the sides have exchanged several rounds of duties.
The latest round of the US-Chinese trade talks ended in mid-May without any agreement. The United States then claimed that Beijing had broken the deal and swiftly increased duties from 10 per cent to 25 per cent on Chinese imports worth about $200 billion.
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China's State Council said on Sunday that Washington bears full responsibility for the failure of trade talks with Beijing, as it is the United States that steps back from hard-won agreements. Beijing also stressed on Sunday that it "will not bend to pressure and will withstand any challenges", adding that it "remains open to talks but will fight to the end, if necessary".
